Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Kekulé structure
References
Images
representations of molecular structure
Britannica AI Icon

Kekulé structure

chemistry
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

representations of molecular structure
representations of molecular structure Several methods of representing a molecule's structure. In Lewis structures, element symbols represent atoms, and dots represent electrons surrounding them. A pair of shared electrons (covalent bond) may also be shown as a single dash. The ball-and-stick model better illustrates the spatial arrangement of the atoms. For aromatic compounds, the Kekulé structure is common, in which each bond is represented by a dash, carbon atoms are implied where two or more lines meet, and hydrogen atoms are usually omitted. Bond-line formulas, similar to the Kekulé structure, are often used for complex nonaromatic organic compounds. Sugars are often drawn as Fischer projections, in which the carbon “backbone” is drawn as a straight vertical line, with carbon atoms implied where horizontal lines intersect the vertical one.

The Kekulé structure refers to a way of representing the structure of organic compounds, particularly benzene. German chemist August Kekulé von Stradonitz proposed that carbon atoms could link together to form chains or rings, establishing the foundation for structural theory in organic chemistry.12

Specifically for benzene, Kekulé's structure, first suggested in 1865, depicted a cyclic arrangement of six carbon atoms with alternating single and double bonds. This model, though later refined to account for electron delocalization and resonance, was crucial in understanding the unique stability and reactivity of aromatic compounds. A Kekulé formula is a structural formula where each valence bond is shown as a line.435

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
5 Britannica Sources
  1. Kekulé formula
  2. August Kekule von Stradonitz
  3. chemistry - Organic radicals and the theory of chemical structure
  4. hydrocarbon - Structure and bonding
  5. benzene

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.